Israel frees ‘youngest Palestinian’ girl prisoner at 12

Palestinian Dima al-Wawi (L), 12, who is believed to be the youngest female detained by Israel, arrives in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, on her release from Israeli prison on April 24, 2016. (AFP / JAAFAR ASHTIYEH)

Israel freed 12-year-old Palestinian Dima al-Wawi from prison on Sunday, more than two months after jailing her for an attempted stabbing attack.

Wawi was handed over to Palestinian authorities at Tulkarem crossing point into the northern West Bank, an AFP photographer said.

She was to travel from there to her family home near Hebron in the south of the territory.

She was arrested, wearing her school uniform, on February 9 at the entrance to a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and found to be carrying a knife.

A wave of Palestinian knife, gun or car-ramming attacks has left 28 Israelis dead since last October, with 201 Palestinians killed over the same period, most of them while carrying out attacks.

Under a plea bargain with Israeli military prosecutors, Wawi pleaded guilty to attempted murder and possession of a knife and was sentenced to four months in an Israeli prison and a further six-week suspended sentence.